Baltimore sanitation employees refuse to report to work, leads to delays in trash collections

Employees of the Baltimore Department of Public Works (DPW) are refusing to report to work, which has led to significant delays in trash collections, reports WBAL-TV 11.

Earlier this week, operations at the city’s Eastside Sanitation Yard were suspended to protect workers from the spread of coronavirus. After suspending operations, DPW officials began mobilizing other sanitation crews within the Bureau of Solid Waste.

“These other employees had been on permission leave (not working, but being paid) for weeks with the understanding that they would support core operations, if and when needed,” officials said in a news release.

Officials said the delays are “completely unacceptable and pose an additional threat to public health. These workers are considered essential and must report to work.”

The DPW said it is taking the immediate actions:

• All permission leave for solid waste workers is revoked and workers must return to work immediately. Failure to report will result in job abandonment.
• Anticipating that some employees may not return to work, an aggressive recruitment campaign is underway to hire laborers and Commercial Drivers Licenses (CDL) drivers to fill positions.